Review: Camp Blood First Slaughter

Text by Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014
Images from the Internet

 

Camp Blood First Slaughter

Written and directed by Mark Polonia
Sterling Entertainment
Polonia Bros Entertainment
MVD Visual
78 minutes, 2014
www.sterlingmoviefactory.com
www.mvdvisual.com

Recently, I reviewed another Polonia film, Empire of the Apes [HERE], the film they made before this one, and I wonder how they got so much better in one film?

There are similarities, though: To begin, both films are based on other people’s franchises, in this case it being Brad Sykes’s killer clown in the woods Camp Blood trilogy, which I haven’t seen. Well, this one doesn’t continue it as much as kick it in the ass, which is part of what makes it fun. And then, like most other killer in mask camp films, this one takes place in the woods, much as did Empire.

What I like about this film is that Polonia takes the basic maniac in the woods story and mixes it up a bit. All the clichés of the genre are there, including the weird old guy warning them to leave which they of course ignore, and Polonia even combines it with the found footage phenomena that everyone seems to be jumping on over the past few years since Blair Witch Project (1999).

Sometimes when you have an indie film, because the Hollywood rules don’t always count and the training is more hands-on, directors can get away with more because the lines are more fluid. This happens right off the bat here. Did not see that first killing coming at all, and it was very impressive.

After a standard prologue where the woman belittles the man who gets killed before she does, as is also par as the story is a class of high schoolers – for once most of whom look like they actually could be that age or close – are sent into the woods by their teacher (Cindy Wheeler) to investigate (and film) what really happened. The point is to prove or disprove if there even is a Blood Lake killer clown with a machete hacking people. Okay, yes, same MO (i.e., mask and a onesey) as Jason and same locale as Jason and same weapon as Jason. I get it other reviewers, so let’s move on.

So three females and two males camp out, and then run their cameras constantly through the day. And night. With no outlets to recharge the cameras. It’s the modern equivalent of a Western where the six-shooter never runs out of bullets, I suppose. I know I have to charge mine about every two hours of usage. Again, the rules of micro-budget are different, that is apparent.

Talk around the campfire with one of them trying to scare the others with stories? Check. False scares (such as someone surprising someone in the dark)? Check. A real scare as the killer shows up after the false scare? Check.

Now, while a lot of this is frankly following the playbook, there is also an undercurrent element which has, well, if not originality, then definitely a shake-up of the standard. There is some playing with time, you definitely get a preview of what is going to happen to our hapless students, and of course, what are left are the video cameras, including the one worn by the killer on the side of its mask. And the ending is actually a bit of a surprise.

While this isn’t the greatest of films, it’s miles above the Empire of the Apes (the one Polonia did before this one!). The gore is a cheesy a mix of digital and appliance. Despite being a bit hackneyed, such as using a machete with part of the blade cut out to look like it’s chopping through a body part, it’s still a fun ride to watch. The digital blood spatter is, however, just bad. There most of the other reviews I’ve read have it right; fakest I’ve seen since Empire, which was even way more fakey.

Again, micro-budgets produce interesting vibes, and sometimes even the most ridiculous become… well, not credible, but acceptable-though-noticeable. For example, when one teen is getting her head chopped off, and blood is pouring from her mouth (they must have gone through a lot of blood capsules in this film as everyone bleeds profusely from the mouth), she appears to be laughing as she’s coughing up blood. It actually made me smile, and she was one of my favorite characters.

Now to some quickies: You can tell when the POV is the killer’s other than the students because you can hear the heavy breathing, like it was the end of a marathon; I kept saying, dude, you need to work out more and do some cardio. Every couple of minutes you see the screen scrambled with a szzhzhzhz sound, like interference, to remind the viewer that it is supposed to be watching video after the fact. I know my digi camera never does that, but okay. I figured out the killer pretty fast, dismissed it, and then remembered at the end as was right; however, it’s not that obvious and it may surprise you. It seems that every victim picked up the wooden Camp Blood sign just before they become ex-teens. Again, no nudity or even the suggestion of it (though an affair is rumoured). Other than chapter choices, there are no extras on this.

Some of the Polonia stock players make appearances, such as Jeff Kirkendall (also a genre filmmaker) as the loony warning them away, Ken Van Sant as the sheriff that finds the cameras, and punk rock drummer (yes, I will always use that descriptor because it is cool) Steve Diasparra as the Mayor (and one other role). Most of the other cast have either this as their only credit, or just a couple or few others with Polonia or Kirkendall.

Yeah, the acting and dialog are somewhat stilted, but the message comes across without the viewer having to use the mind too much, and sometimes that’s all one needs, right? The film is a decent length, being not too long, but with enough time to tell the story, which is obviously written for a sequel.

Reviews: Fan Shorts, Vol. 1

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2013
Images from the Internet

These short films are the equivalent of film fanzines, created by fans on micro-budgets, and deserve to be recognized for their work.

KRUGER: Another Tale from Elm Street

Written and directed by Chris R. Notarile.           
Blinky Productions
6:28 minutes, 2013
www.facebook.com/KruegerElmStreetTales

Sometimes it’s pretty amazing how effective a film can be in even less than 10 minutes. This two person drama is a flashback to when Freddy Kruger (Roberto Lombardi) is still in his living and sadistic prime, and how he meets little Suzy (Breanna Lakatos). A lot of the bookmarks are there, like the sweater, the hat, the car, and even the gloved hand scraping on the pipe. Lombardi does an excellent job as the creepily charming Kruger. Knowing Freddy’s history with children makes their conversation all the more cringeworthy. Notarile does a great job with a solid nod to the original, while still showing some originality. Well worth the view, even if it’s between fingers.

 

 

Bat in the Sun: Super Power Beat Down (various episodes)
Directed by Aaron Schoenke      
Bat in the Sun
Varies (appx. 6-10 minutes per episode, 2013
www.facebook.com/batinthesun
www.superpowerbreakdown.com

This series is a hoot to watch. Hosted by hottie nerd Marisha Ray, it pits two super heroes and has them battle in live action shorts. For example, there is Superman vs. Thor, Darth Vader vs. Gandalf, Predator vs. Wolverine, or my favorite, Batman vs. Deadpool. The scenarios open up with some nerds and beautiful women debating over who would win and why, though the outcome is chosen by online voting. Basically it’s Stewart vs. Penny, if she knew comic heroes. Unfortunately they sometimes bet, which mostly ends up with the women in bikinis doing stupid things like having pillow fights. Yeesh. But do not be discouraged because the hero / villain (or hero / hero, or villain / villain) mash-up is so well done that you would never know it had a small budget. Most have a sense of humor and certainly know their characters (yes, Gandalf says “You shall not pass,” for example). The acting of the larger than lifers is no less wooden than, say, George Clooney’s Batman or Ben Affleck’s Daredevil. And this series is not afraid to mix genres and publishing houses. There have been nearly 10 episodes as I write this, and with one or two exceptions (e.g., Lara Croft vs. Nathan Drake), they are truly a joy to watch. Also, it is worth it to keep checking back to see the latest.

 

Friday the 13^th: No Man’s Land
Written and directed by David Hastings. 
Lightbeam Productions / Pat the Bulls Productions      
53 minutes, 2010

Ah, nothing like a gaggle of thirty-year-old teens walking around Crystal Lake, being Jason fodder. What is weird is that they have strange accents, which is somewhat not surprising since it was filmed in the UK, though trying to adapt a Yank one. Oh, one tries and fails with a miserable Southern ayk-sayhent. What’s a nice turn is that they aren’t all buffed and gorgeous, but rather many have non-stereotypical body types.

Though this film is only a few years old, it has analog, VHS-like soft edges to the images. This feels appropriate considering Jason actually became a cult figure from the video revolution rather than the theatrical release, if I remember correctly.

As with all of these kinds of kid-in-the-woods-kids-get-dead films, there is a long period of exposition at the beginning (though there is a nice wrap-around) as we begin to meet and either not care about or dislike the group, usually thanks to either cliché bitch vs. macho characters, or those so bland you wish they would be just killed off to end their wooden acting, since that’s the point anyway, ain’ it? There is even the strange, creepy guy in the woods warning them to no avail.

Perhaps you may think I am being too hard on the film. Nah, not at all, and in fact, I admire that they actually have the same aesthetics of the original film, rather than the later, silly sequels. This is probably more accurate to the core concept than the others that were “official” follow-ups (which are mentioned at some point to the informed’s amusement: “I heard he was even in New York,” a way-post-teen mentions).

Actually, my only real complaint is that all the sound is ambient, so the further away from the camera the actor is, the harder it is to hear them. That and 15 minutes could have been easily clipped off, but that’s true of any of the franchise (or let me expand that to the genre).

Now a question I have (and all this genre has answers needed) is if you know a killer is out there, or even possibly on the loose, why would you go off one by one into the woods? Some of the kills are quite ordinary, such as a having a head smashed against a tree (didn’t Jason have a machete at some point?), and at least two of the women fall while running away, but there are a few good gore effects that are quite well done and worth the attention..

The editing is consistent with the original, and there is even some archival footage of Jason as a boy, his mom (Betsey Palmer, as they did in 2001’s Jason X) and even Alice thrown into the mix during flashbacks.

And what about Jason? Well, he is played by the rightfully imposing and oddly named Mike Bytheway (I’m thinking a made up name; if not, my apologies). He has Jason’s mannerisms down pretty well, even the doggy-style head nodding to the side in piqued interest.

The thing about films like this is that they, well for lack of a better term, tread on sacred ground to many followers of the original. In that way, despite the flaws, they definitely succeed. This is a well-handled homage in its loyalty and detail.